Despite occupying such an important part of the diagnostic and treatment process, lab professionals are considered to be among the most unrecognized healthcare workers — a hidden profession. Academic Purposes Only

1. Medical Lab
Scientists: The
‘Hidden
Profession’ That
Saves Lives
An Article from University of West Florida
Made by: Mary Angeline N. Astudillo

2. CONTENTS
1. What is Medical Laboratory Science?
2. Understanding the work they do
3. Raising their reputation
4. A Rewarding Career With a Huge Impact on Patients’
Lives
5. Technology Shaping the Future of Healthcare
6. Shape Patient Outcomes With an MLS Degree

3. What is a Medical Laboratory Scientist?
 Medical laboratory scientists exist as the detectives of the
healthcare field. The identification, diagnosis and treatment
of disease require a skilled detective, someone who knows
what clues to look for.
 They are the most integral parts of healthcare teams.
Experts estimate that medical lab science professionals
provide up to 70% of patients’ laboratory testing to
physicians to make accurate diagnoses and treatment
plans.

4. What is a Medical Laboratory Scientist?
 Medical lab scientists touch almost every aspect of
healthcare, but the general public is largely not familiar
with the work they do.
 This unfamiliarity has led to misconceptions about the role,
including about the specifics of what medical lab scientists
do on a day-to-day basis. The public is unfamiliar with their
importance because patients often don’t see medical lab
scientists.

5. Understanding the work they do
It’s something that Katie Cavnar, Chair and
Program Director of Medical Lab Sciences at
the University of West Florida, has
experienced throughout her career.
“I’ve had to explain this many times — even to my own family. They
either think I draw blood and that’s it, or that I’m a doctor. Medical
laboratory scientists are the ones who take the samples and run
the tests,” she said. “Very often we’re the first ones to know if
someone is pregnant or if someone has diabetes. We’re the ones
who do all that diagnostic testing for the physicians.”

6. Raising their reputations
 Organizations have been working for decades to raise the
profile of medical lab scientists. Medical Laboratory
Professionals Week (MLPW), which is observed in the last full
week in April, was originated by the American Society for
Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) in 1975.
 Today, its focus is to not only celebrate the important work lab
scientists do but to provide an opportunity for greater visibility
and understanding among the public.

7. Impact on
Patients Lives

8. A Rewarding Career With a Huge
Impact on Patients’ Lives
Although medical lab science professionals may not have
the patient-facing roles that doctors and nurses do, their
work is not any less rewarding or impactful. They play a
vital role in:
 Early disease detection and prevention
 Integral in treating certain trauma cases as well.

9. A Rewarding Career With a Huge Impact on Patients’ Lives
 The fight against COVID-19 proved how instrumental medical
lab scientists are.
 This critical diagnostic role shone a light on lab scientists and
how they work to save lives. In this case, by identifying positive
cases, lab scientists helped doctors begin treatment quickly, start
effective contact tracing and take the first step in reducing the
spread.

10.  Machine learning - Uses of machine learning include the quality review
of lab results and disease or outcome prediction.
 3D printing - the expanded use of 3D printing has led to the
development of custom 3D-printed equipment.
 Expanded genome screening - greater understanding of patients’
genetic makeup offers greater insight into diagnoses and treatment.
Technology Shaping the Future of Healthcare
-Lab science is an ever-evolving field
-Recent advancements in the field include the development of more
sophisticated instruments that can diagnose diseases in a much more
timely fashion. Previously it took weeks for organisms to grow to
identify the disease. Other recent advancements include:

11. Technology Shaping the Future of Healthcare
“One of the things that’s a good trait in medical laboratory
scientists is they embrace that advancement, and they want to
understand those instruments and the technology — it just makes
our lives easier,” she said.
According to Cavnar, one of the
characteristics that make lab professionals
successful is how they want to understand
everything there is to know about the
newest technology,

12. Shape Patient Outcomes With an MLS Degree
 There are different paths one can take to a medical lab science
degree, but Cavnar says she took one of the most common
ones. She was a biology major who was not interested in
pursuing medical school or becoming a doctor.
 She tends to see a lot of biology students who are unsure how
they want to put their degree to work. Making the decision to
pursue a career in medical lab science is a good choice; she
says her department has close to a 100% job placement rate.

13. Shape Patient Outcomes With an MLS Degree
 According to the American Society for Microbiology,
employment in healthcare is expected to grow by 19% from
2014 to 2024 — which accounts for about 2.3 million new jobs.
 Making the jump from a medical lab technician to a medical
lab scientist is also a popular career track. There can be quite a
big difference between pay and advancement opportunities
between an MLT and an MLS.

14. Shape Patient Outcomes With an MLS Degree
Characteristics needed in becoming a successful lab scientist:
(According to Canvar)
 Innate curiosity
 A strong desire to help people
 A zeal for solving problems
 Organized and detail-oriented
 Meticulousness
 Ability to stay cool under pressure

15. Shape Patient Outcomes With an MLS Degree
UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA
The University of West Florida’s online Medical Lab Technician
to Medical Lab Scientist (MLT to MLS) bachelor’s degree
program is ideal for meticulous lab professionals who are looking
to take the next step in their careers. With a self-paced, fully
online format, students can complete their degrees around their
schedules.

16. Despite playing such a crucial role in the diagnostic
and treatment process, lab professionals are regarded
as one of the most underappreciated members of the
healthcare workforce - a hidden profession. Medical
lab scientists are crucial, and they continue to be
highly sought after in the industry, despite the fact
that they do not interact with patients face to face like
other healthcare professionals.

17. REFERENCES
University of West Florida, Medical Lab Scientists:
The ‘Hidden Profession’ That Saves Lives. 2018
https://onlinedegrees.uwf.edu/articles/how-medical-
lab-science-impacts-our-lives/